Achieving Sustainable Transport Management

Achieving sustainable transport management

Congestion – too many vehicles for the capacity of the road

Why do we get congestion?

1 – Roads built were made for Victorian cities so are not wide enough for the current transport we have

2 – Increase in personal mobility

• Congestion costs the British economy £25 billion per year → Just-in-time deliveries e.g. Sainsbury’s say that it costs them £14 million from lost revenue because of lorries stuck in traffic.
• Average speed in London is 11-12 mph
• 45% of all journeys are under 2 miles (in UK)
• In ultimate form, you get gridlock – where everything is at a stand still going into a main area.
• A lot of pollution caused, air pollution, carbon monoxide/dioxide, nitrus oxide, photochemical fog.

      →Pollution is always worse if traffic is at a stand still.

2 ways in which we try to manage transport

1 – try and prevent/reduce/make more difficult car usage

2 – congestion charge of £5 for registering your number plate (mon-fri 6am-6pm). If you have to pay it would hopefully deter people from using their cars in London.  → massive success, 21% reduction in congestion.

• such a success that they extended the zone in 2006 and they put the prices up over the last 12 years and is now £12 a day.

Disadvantages:

• cabs, minibuses, coaches do not have to pay.
• Hopes to reduce the no. of people from travelling into town but can reduce the amount of people going into London so less money into shops.
• People then tried to find alternative routes other than going through the centre
• It’s only on Monday to Friday, so if there are events on the weekend then no one pays.

Park and ride

Only drive to the outskirts of town and then take tube/trams into the centre

• Great to spend the day in he city but if you only want to spend 2 hours there then it may be cheaper to park in the city

Banning cars from city centres

E.g. York

-  No congestion

- Safe environment for people

- Loss of business

- Congestion on the outskirts

e.g in York the inner ring road is heavily congested at peak times.

Increase parking charges

• Encourages people from taking their car
• But at the same time encourages people not to go at all

Car sharing schemes and car pool lane

e.g. Birmingham and Los Angeles

- In Athens they have alternative car number plates – personalised so that you can only go in on certain days if you have a certain number plate.